1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a modular system of devices, in which a master device can be combined with one or more of the other devices in the system to expand functionalities and features in different form factors and/or platforms.
2. Description of Related Art
The evolution of portable personal electronic devices changed the life of consumers. For example, notebook computers, cellular phones, etc., provided utility and convenience to consumers which are not possible just 20 years ago. Some of the smaller portable electronic devices are developed with features and functionalities that rival comparably larger devices. For example, smartphones are now provided with sufficient processing power that can run applications that were available in larger notebook computers.
Heretofore, handheld personal electronic devices have been developed in various form factors, each designed to optimize certain application utilities to users. For example, smartphones (e.g., Apple iPhone) have smaller form factors, as compared to tablet computers (e.g., Apple iPad). Smartphones are primarily used for telecommunication, which also provide access to the Internet, and run entertainment and productivity applications. Tablets, which have larger and higher resolution display screens as compared to smart phones but which are lighter in weight than notebook computers, are primarily used as a consumer tool, for providing access to the Internet, run entertainment and productivity applications, and in some models, also providing telecommunication function. Tablets require larger batteries in order to support relatively higher power consumptions by the larger displays and other power consuming devices within the larger form factor of the tablets.
As can be appreciated, there are significant overlap of hardware and software functionalities and features between smartphones and tablets. With the development of increasingly more powerful and feature packed smartphones, the capabilities (e.g., processing power) of smartphones are comparable with the larger tablet computers and notebook computers, with the screen size and resolution and battery size being the significant differences between the devices of different form factors. For a user who wishes to have the convenience of a smartphone for telecommunication but also the enhanced display of a tablet, the user must purchase both devices, despite the redundant functions and features of the devices of different form factors. To ensure full functionality that the user is accustomed to when the user switches between devices, similar applications must be loaded in both devices. Further, certain data (e.g., personal data) entered in one device must be exchanged or synchronized with the other device, to make similar data available to the user when the user switches between devices. Heretofore, data synchronization applications are not robust enough to provide seamless, error free data synchronization.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,010,634 assigned to Intel is entitled “NOTEBOOK COMPUTER WITH INDEPENDENTLY FUNCTIONAL DOCKABLE CORE COMPUTER”. According to its abstract, a notebook computer includes a docking port to receive a core computer. The processor of the core computer serves as the system processor for the notebook computer when the core computer is docked in the notebook computer. When the core computer is undocked, the processor serves as the system processor for the core computer. The core computer may boot a mini operating system when undocked, whereas the notebook computer may boot a full operating system when the core computer is docked. The processor of the core computer may operate at a lower voltage and at a lower frequency when serving as the system processor for the core computer than when serving as the system processor for the notebook computer. When the core computer is docked, the notebook computer memory is synchronized with the core computer memory, and a battery in the core computer is charged.
While the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,010,634 reduced certain hardware redundancy between the notebook computer and the core computer (namely sharing a single system processor), it nevertheless relies to a large extent, running separate operating systems and application programs residing in the different devices, and data synchronization between the different devices. For example, when the core computer is docked in the notebook computer, the system processor boots a larger, full operating system installed in the larger notebook computer to run the application programs installed (i.e., uniquely associated with the full operating system) in the larger notebook computer. When undocked, the system processor boots a smaller, mini operating system installed in the core computer to run the application programs installed (i.e., uniquely associated with the mini operating system) in the smaller core computer. Given the booting of different operating systems in the different devices, the docking and undocking of the core computer with respect to the notebook computer require re-initiation of operating system (which requires power down), hence not in a “hot swap” manner.
It is therefore desirable to develop a dockable system of electronic device that can more significantly reduce the redundancies between devices, in hardware, software as well as data, while providing ease of docking and versatility of use between form factors and/or across platforms.